Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
by Skones
Summary: Sometimes when you hide, or run away it’s because you want to be alone. Other times, it’s because you want someone to find you. Callie comforts Arizona... Calzona, One-Shot.


**A/N: This is most likely a one-shot... I needed some distraction from Tidal Wave and Pictures of You..**

**I'll try my best to continue writing them; it may take a bit. :)**

**This is kind of like Escaping, but not really… I wanted to write something where Callie was there for Arizona…**

**P.s. The title is from a John Mayer song of the same name.**

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Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

Summary: Sometimes when you hide, or run away it's because you want to be alone. Other times, it's because you want someone to find you.

Callie brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face before abandoning her efforts all together and gathering her hair up into a messy ponytail. Scribbling her signature on the dotted line at the end of the form, the brunette tossed the chart back onto the counter and breathed a deep sigh of relief. Her shift was finally over, a grueling twelve hour shift that had called on her to perform four surgeries and oversee two others. However, Callie was aware that her exhaustion would be nothing compared to Arizona's. Her girlfriend had gotten off a thirty-six hour just three hours ago. She was looking forward to spending a lazy night with her beautiful girlfriend and dwelling on the possibilities of activities for their day off tomorrow.

She walked eagerly down the hall, her fatigue not marring her anticipation of getting to see Arizona. Bailey sauntered past her, managing a small wave at the orthopedic surgeon before continuing on her way toward the OR. Callie's mood remained undiminished as she neared the attending locker room.

Arizona usually waited for her in the locker room, but as Callie pushed the door open she saw that Arizona's locker was shut and her purse was gone.

_Maybe she went back to her apartment already,_ Callie mused as she opened her own locker. Pictures of Arizona and Callie were plastered across the small space with a few of the photographs containing the face of Mark, Lexie, Christina or other friend's of Callie's from Seattle Grace. As she gazed at her girlfriend's smiling face Callie felt a matching grin appear on her lips and she traced her finger over one of her favorite pictures.

It had been one of the rare sunny days that occurred in Seattle and Lexie had persuaded Mark, Callie and Arizona to embark on a picnic trip. Mark had taken possession of the camera and had taken childish delight in attempting to photograph some 'girl on girl' action as he called it. However this was one of the few nice pictures. Arizona arms were wrapped snugly around Callie's neck and she was grinning that familiar infectious smile that showed off her adorable dimples.

Grabbing her cell phone, purse and a spare change of clothes out of her locker, Callie slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way out of the locker room toward the parking lot. As the frigid air bit through the fabric of her coat, Callie jammed her hands into her pockets, and quickly fumbled with her keys. She was on strict orders not to return to the apartment. Christina had informed her that for once she had decided to let Owen make her dinner so she wanted the apartment for the night. Callie was grudgingly happy for her roommate, although she would never admit it.

On her way to Arizona's apartment, Callie stopped to pick up some food from Arizona's favorite Chinese restaurant but she reached Arizona apartment only about a half an hour after she left the hospital. Wearily, Callie pushed the button for Arizona's floor in the elevator and waited, shifting her weight from foot to foot in her anxiousness.

Knocking on the door to apartment 213, Callie waited for what felt like hours but the door never opened.

"Arizona, it's me!" Callie called through the door, as she knocked again. When she still received no answer, Callie muttered a curse under her breath and fumbled through her purse for the key Arizona had given her about two months ago.

Underneath the layer of unused Kleenex's and spare change that littered her purse, Callie felt a small metal key that she triumphantly fit it into the lock. She expected to find Arizona dozing off on the couch or maybe taking a shower or something but the apartment was pitch black. Callie dropped her coat quietly on the floor and put the bag of food onto the counter before quietly peeking through the door into Arizona's bedroom. She wasn't there. There was no light emanating from the bathroom either, no, Arizona wasn't here.

"Arizona!" Callie called futility; half hoping Arizona was hiding somewhere but those familiar curls and piercing blue eyes were decidedly absent.

Next, Callie flipped open her cell phone and checked for texts. There were none from Arizona, although Mark had sent her a text asking for advice on how to get Lexie to forgive him for something. There was always something going wrong with that couple but Callie quickly typed a response and shut her phone, fresh out of ideas.

She was about to go back to the hospital even though all of Arizona's stuff was missing from the locker room, but as she turned away, the phone rang, it's strident sound ringing through the room. Callie jumped slightly, startled by the sudden noise and she debated answering the phone but decided against it. This was Arizona's apartment after all, so she let it go to the answering machine as she fetched her coat and grabbed the bag of food.

"_Hey Zona, it's your mother calling…" _The sound of what must be Arizona's mother's voice appeared over the answering and the edge of Callie's mouth quirked up in a smile. "_Sweetie, I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I know how hard today is for you. If you need anything just call me, okay? I love you Zona. Oh, and tell Callie 'hello' for me." _The message machine clicked off and the apartment was completely silent once again. However, Callie's mind was not.

Arizona had never mentioned anything particularly special about today. But as Callie though back over her day, she hadn't seen Arizona at all. They had plans to meet for lunch in the cafeteria but the blonde and her alluring dimples had been absent. Callie had simply chalked it up to getting stuck in surgery and thought nothing of her disappearance; they were surgeons after all. There was no question in her mind though, she needed to find Arizona.

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Callie banged desperately on the door to her own apartment, too nervous to bother with the key.

"Callie," Christina said thinly as soon as the door opened. Her arms were crossed angrily across her chest and she glared at Callie with annoyance clear in her eyes. "What part of 'don't come to the apartment tonight,' don't you lesbians understand!"

"I know and I'm really sorry but-" Callie paused, thinking back over Christina's remark and responding eagerly. "Wait, Arizona was here?"

"Yeah," Christina remarked with a bored drawl. "She was looking for you about half an hour ago but she left once I told her you wouldn't be coming to the apartment tonight…" She still refused to let Callie into the apartment.

"Did she say where she was going?" Callie asked desperately. She thought she might have seen a flash of compassion in Christina's but after all, this was Christina so she was probably just imagining it. Callie was sure she saw the brunette's expression soften.

"She didn't Cal, sorry…" Callie nodded, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Thanks Christina, sorry for interrupting your date…" A slight grimace formed on Christina mouth at the word 'date' but she let it slide. With one last apologetic glance, Christina shut the door.

Taking the stairs at a slow pace, Callie attempted to remember any other places Arizona could be. She had already checked all of the obvious places, the hospital, both apartments, and she had even checked Joe's even though Arizona wasn't the type of person to just drink her problems away. No, that was all Callie could come up with. She ran through a long list of memories, trying to recollect if Arizona had ever gone anywhere else when she was upset.

For what felt like the fiftieth time that night, Callie pulled out her cell phone and checked for messages. Again, nothing. This time she pressed the speed dial button for Arizona's cell phone number and listened as the phone once again went to voice mail. Arizona cheery voice asked her to leave a message after the beep and Callie couldn't help the ghost of a smile that flit across her expression at hearing her girlfriend so perky.

"Hey Ari," Callie began, leaning against the cold stone of the building's exterior. "I know something's going on with you today and I can't find you… I've checked all the usual places and I wish I could be there for you like you were for me so many times… Please call me Ari, I'm going to keep looking, but if you need anything just call me…"

As Callie flipped her phone off the background photo caught her eye and an idea began to quickly form in her mind. They had snapped this picture a few weeks ago when Arizona had insisted on going to the park to eat their lunches.

Quickly, she shoved her phone back into her pocket and walked quickly to her car. At least she had some semblance of an idea where to look now. If Arizona wasn't there Callie resolved to just set up camp outside Arizona's door, waiting for her to come home.

Without the bright sunlight filtering through the trees the park looked completely different. It was bathed in the yellow glow of streetlights as Callie pulled up into the parking lot, and across the grass, the bright lights of the Seattle skyline shone in the distance. The path Callie needed to take led through a grove of trees, it wasn't long maybe three hundred feet but the alcove it led to was completely hidden from the parking lot. She walked up the purposefully until she rounded the bend in the trail when Callie stopped.

Arizona was sitting with her back to Callie, leaning against the back of the wooden bench. If the view from the parking lot was pretty, here was spectacular. When the sun was out you could see clear across Seattle to the harbor but at night the huge body of water was hidden from view. Instead, a huge mass of bright lights greeted her forming a not-unpleasant array of vibrant colors which contrasted with the night sky.

Callie walked softly foreword, her feet barely making a sound in the soft grass but Arizona was so lost in her thoughts she wouldn't have noticed.

"Arizona," Callie whispered softly. Her voice cut clearly through the silence even in her hushed tones and Arizona spun around in her seat.

"Callie, how did you…" Arizona's voice trailed off as she tried to compose her expression, rubbing one of her sleeves quickly over her face to erase the tearstains. Even in the dim light, Callie could clearly see Arizona's eyes, the emotion she found there send waves of pain through her chest. "How did you umm… find me here?" She asked as Callie took a few more steps forward and sat down on the bench.

"I went to your apartment after my shift ended," Callie explained tentatively while she attempted to analyze Arizona's expression. Unfortunately Callie couldn't glean much from Arizona face although the pain in her eyes was evident. "I heard your mom say something about today being hard for you… So I came looking for you…"

"You talked to my mom?" Arizona asked in confusion…

"No, I was in the apartment looking for you and she called. I didn't answer, but she left a message…"

"Oh," Arizona replied softly. For a while that was all she said but she leaned wearily against Callie. Wrapping her arms comfortingly around her girlfriend, Callie rested her chin on top of Arizona's head, occasionally dropping a kiss onto the mess of blonde curls.

Arizona allowed herself a few moments to just revel in the moment. She felt safe and secure surrounded by Callie's embrace. After her shift she had wanted to do nothing more than confide in Callie and spend the night in her girlfriend's arms but as she had just been overwhelmed. Arizona couldn't explain why she hadn't waited for Callie. She had needed to clear her head but with Callie's strong arms encircling her, she felt much better than when she had been occupying the bench by herself.

"What did the message say?" Arizona asked in a soft murmur.

"She was calling to check up on you," Callie replied. "You mom said she knew how hard today was for you…" Arizona nodded, her cheek brushing against the fabric of Callie's jacket.

Arizona knew Callie wouldn't push her for an answer, but she felt like she owed her girlfriend an explanation anyway. "It's about Dakota…" A sigh escaped Arizona's lips and she avoided Callie's gaze. "You must be tired of hearing so much about him…"

She was beginning to realize how much she relied on Callie. Her past was scattered with dates that brought up horrible memories, most people's were but hers were more poignant than most. But even though Arizona had helped Callie through a lot of crises she realized that Callie had been helping her as well. It may not be as obvious but every touch, every loving glance Arizona felt from Callie it helped.

"Hey," Callie brushed a finger across Arizonan's cheek and drew the blued eyed gaze she loved so much upwards. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. But, for the record I won't ever get tired of hearing about your brother, I know he meant a lot to you…"

"He was my best friend," Arizona remembered with a fond smile as she nestled closer to Callie. "Today wasn't the anniversary of his death or anything but… It was the last time I saw him alive… He shipped off to join the army, six years ago tomorrow but he came over the day before to say goodbye," Arizona explained, her tone turned slightly colder as she fought the emotion welling in her chest.

"I'm so sorry," Callie murmured, placing a light kiss on Arizona's forehead before pulling her closer.

"Today, I always tell myself to remember him the way he was six years ago." Arizona remarked, as much to herself as to Callie. "It's hard to remember saying good bye to him though," she finished softly as a tear escaped from the corner of her eye and traced a graceful river down her cheek.

"Why don't you tell me about him then?" Callie coaxed gently. She had heard mostly just about Dakota's death. Arizona rarely spoke freely about her brother's life and for a moment her blue eyes filled with surprise before she nodded.

"Okay," Arizona replied twisting slightly so she was once again facing the expansive skyline.

"My brother's name was Dakota Matthew Robbins," she began with a small smile. Callie was relieved to see that some of the pain was receding from her eyes, and was being replaced with a quiet joy as she allowed herself to remember.

"He was my best friend even though he was two years older than I was... We were army brats so we moved around a lot as children. With every new town came scary new schools, trying to make new friends and attempting to stay out of trouble. We were really close, even in high school." Arizona reminisced with a fond smile. "In high school he was pretty much the golden boy. He lettered in varsity baseball for four years and he took even more advanced classes than I did… I think a lot of people saw his decision to join the army as throwing his future away, but my parents understood and I did too after a while." Arizona snuggled down into her jacket and paused briefly before continuing.

"Dakota was the typical big brother, always standing up for me. Even to our father and Colonel Daniel Robbins was _very _intimidating. I think that's one of the reasons Dakota joined up... He wanted to protect what he believed in… Everything was normal, I was in starting my residency and he had gone on to graduate school. One day, today six years ago, he just showed up and said goodbye… I didn't see him again after that. I got lots of letters and the occasional phone call but after that day I never got to hug him again, or touch him… Nothing…"

"Arizona…" Callie murmured into Arizona's hair. She was at a loss of what to say, she didn't any words that could mend a wound so deep. "I wish I could say something… That would help or…"

"You being here is enough for me," Arizona answered quietly, turning back to Callie as a grateful smile erased the grief on her face for an instant. "Though I would still like to know how you found me," she asked with a small grin as the cold breeze stirred the curls around her face.

"Oh," Callie blushed. "I was leaving a message on your phone and I had already searched everywhere I could think of but when I saw this picture… I don't know, something just clicked in my mind, plus we do come here a lot…"

"It's nice up here," Arizona agreed as they enjoyed a moment in what felt like their own private world. Callie nodded in tacit agreement.

The blonde stifled a yawn and Callie looked down in concern, "you want to go back to the apartment?" She asked tentatively.

"Yes, but I think we should go to my place. I went to your apartment before I came here I think I interrupted Owen and Christina's date or something…"

"Yeah," Callie mumbled in embarrassment. "I did that too, Christina was pretty pissed at me." They both stood up but as Arizona started to walk back toward the parking lot Callie caught her hand and stilled her movements.

"Wait," Arizona looked at Callie in confusion. "Next time… Call me," Callie murmured softly. "I have no problem searching half of Seattle for you, I love you so I would do that a thousand times but… If you're hurting like this you can call me, you know that right?" The brunette bit her lip and looked uncertainly at Arizona.

"I know," Arizona answered. "I was just… I wanted to, but I didn't want to burden you I guess… I promise I'll call next time, but the same goes for you…" She warned with a mock threat.

"No more running?" Callie asked with a tinge of amusement in her tone as she threaded her and Arizona's fingers together.

"No more running," Arizona replied.

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Hours later, Arizona was once again wrapped tightly in Callie's arms, her head pillowed on the brunette's chest. She rubbed her thumb in slow circles across the caramel colored hand draped across her stomach. From her girlfriend's slow and deep breathing Arizona could tell Callie was asleep but she was unable to find that same quiet.

She wasn't sad, Arizona realized. It had taken her awhile but it she had accepted her brother's death and allowed him so survive in her heart in the form of fond memories. But, tonight after not finding Calliope at her apartment she had just ran, giving into her fears that Callie would get tired of all the drama and hurt her brother still managed to cause. Callie had proved to Arizona yet again that she had grown, she didn't run anymore. Except of course when Arizona made Callie chase her.

"Thank you," Arizona whispered as twisted up and placed a light kiss on Callie's cheek.

"Hmm," Callie stirred and nestled her head deeper into Arizona hair before responding. "What?" She asked groggily as she realized Arizona was still awake. "Are you okay Arizona?" Her tone was laced with worry that made Arizona feel loved, and Callie dark eyes traced anxiously over Arizona's face.

"Yes, I was just thanking you..." Arizona replied quietly, and Callie's brow furrowed in confusion.

"For what?"

"For finding me at the park," a small appeared on Callie's lips and she pulled Arizona closer. Arizona shifted in her arms so her head was resting against Callie's shoulder, and she could look up at Callie's face.

"Anytime," Callie said, in tune with her typical habit of downgrading her own actions. "I'm just glad you're okay..." Arizona nodded, gratitude and love still visible in her eyes and she leaned forward and dropped a kiss on Callie's lips. She snuggled down deeper in to Callie embrace, letting the sound of Callie's breathing lull her busy thoughts. Sleep came slowly for Arizona, but eventually it arrived and with thoughts of Callie as well as a few scattered memories of her brother filling her mind Arizona drifted off to sleep knowing that she had found someone who would come find her... anytime.

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**A/N: Reviews are loved, tell me what you thought :D**

**I added the ending on after, I don't really know why but I did :)**

**Next chapter for Tidal Wave will be sometime next week, maybe Monday or Tuesday...**


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